Onyx Studio first tenant in downtown East Dundee building

Stephanie Olofson has a vision for her salon, and her new East Dundee location is helping her get there.

Onyx Studio, a personal care and beauty salon, opened at 207 Barrington Ave. earlier this month, and it's the first time owner Olofson, 32, has had a space to call her own.

"I wanted a really cool, unique place where people could come and get a really personal experience at an affordable price," Olofson said, noting that her studio offers services such as nails, facials, airbrush tanning and waxing. "When I saw the building, I just knew that this was it."

The Lake in the Hills resident always knew she wanted a career in the beauty industry. She received her nail license and later became a licensed aesthetician, practicing her passion in various area salons.

When the East Dundee salon where Olofson worked closed a few years ago, she started working out of her home.

"But I wanted more," she said. "I had my own vision of what I wanted my studio to be and what I wanted to do with it."

A little over a year ago, Olofson started Onyx Studio in a rented space in a friend's West Dundee salon. As her business grew, she said, she realized it was time for her own space.

"(The West Dundee) place was not my style," Olofson said. "I wanted a masculine place where guys would feel comfortable coming in - it's a huge market that's not really being embraced - but where women would still want to go and feel pampered."

The building was originally purchased and renovated by Otto Engineering President Tom Roeser. Earlier this year, he sold it to West Dundee businessman Bob Contaldo, who continued fixing it up.

Olofson is the building's first tenant.

"It worked out that my idea and his vision were really similar," Olofson said. "My heart is in Dundee. It's where I've always worked, and I love all the changes they're making. This is perfect. It's what I wanted."